A Town Takes On Road Rage

Just about everyone on the road at some time has been a witness to--or worse--committed an act of aggressive driving, so-called "road rage."

It's a growing national problem as the highways get more crowded, drivers get more impatient and society in general seems to be taking a turn for the rude.

It finally got the official attention it needed in July when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released statistics indicating that road rage is a factor in two-thirds of all highway deaths. In short, it can be as deadly as it is uncivil, but so far no one has figured out how to stop it.

At least one community--Crystal Lake--is giving it a try, and ought to be applauded for the effort.

The police department has a two-pronged approach to combat aggressive driving. The first--and likely the most effective--is old-fashioned law enforcement. Officers are being assigned to work in unmarked cars at unexpected times to specifically look for the morons who excessively speed, weave in and out of traffic, tailgate, cut off or block other drivers, drive on the shoulder, flash their lights and obscene gestures and in general turn the highways into a battleground.

Those who are caught will get a date in court with the arresting officer, who will back up the charge.

Victims of road rage also will get a chance to fight back, and the satisfaction of sanctioned retaliation.

Drivers who see aggressiveness in action are being invited to report the incidents to the Crystal Lake police, providing an account of what happened along with the license number and description of the offending vehicle. They can do so anonymously.

Police in turn will contact or pay the accused driver a visit--in effect politely reading the riot act with details of the dangerous behavior and a lecture on the consequences of aggressive driving. In the most serious cases--especially when the accuser is willing to testify in court--a ticket may be issued, though police must be exceedingly judicious about that when they have not actually witnessed the offense.

Will it make a difference? In some cases, it probably will. If more police departments made the same effort, it almost certainly would. In that sense, Crystal Lake's experiment deserves to be watched closely as a guideline to imitate if it works.

It isn't enough to fret about bad behavior, because without some kind of punishment or retribution it will continue. With this program, people fed up with aggressive drivers will have a place to take their complaint, and the jerks just might get the message.